AMCU, NUMSA playbook invented by those now in Parliament

By Alec Hogg

Spent a memorable evening in Durban yesterday as part of the city’s first “Insiders” panel – a Glacier by Sanlam thought leaders initiative. As often happens, the most interesting discussions happen afterwards. Like David Shapiro’s sharing of his harrowing experience in 1990 when he discovered a ring of front-running crooks. That happened weeks after merging his Max Pollak Inc with another stockbroking firm, Simpson Frankel. A reminder that with the JSE at least, the good old days cetainly weren’t.

Also got to swap stories of SA life in the mid-1980s with Jayendra Naidoo, former Saccawu union leader who long ago turned in his t-shirt for a suit. Jayendra reminded us after dinner how, in 1986, his union took on Pick n Pay and then OK Bazaars – the first strike lasting a week; the second more than two months. Many occupying the leather seats of Parliament were in Jayendra’s camp back then. They invented the playbook now used by AMCU and NUMSA.

Which makes one realise these politicians have intimate knowledge of the game. They, better than anyone, know how to spike the guns of those causing such damage to the economy. All that seems to be lacking is the political will to do so. For the moment, anyway.

Yesterday’s top stories:

Canter: New regulations to permanently cut banking profitability

Ian Kilbride: Doomsday radio pundits are wrong – JSE set for more gains

Solidarity GS Du Plessis: The good, bad and future of labour relations

The strike is over, but the lockout has begun – fascinating insights from Neasa’s Gerhard Papenfus

Employment Equity Act: Big changes, more nasty fines from August – experts